Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

17

Russell couldn't help but admire Skylar in her blue sequined dress that stopped just below her knees. The matching high heels added two inches to her already impressive five-foot-eight height. The dress shimmered under the soft lighting, accentuating her graceful movements and the elegance of her posture.

Shaking his head, he grinned. "Sky, you're so hot when you're mad."

Skylar shrieked, slamming the bathroom door in his face. "I'm going to show you mad if you don't leave me alone, Russ!"

"Come on," he pleaded, his voice softening with desperation. "We're going to be late."

Her frustration was evident. "If my brother were here, at least I'd have a little help, but he's busy having a sit-down with Mark's dad."

"Hey, I tried to help!" Russell protested, his hands raised defensively.

The bathroom door opened, and Skylar scowled at him, her eyes narrowing with irritation. "You smudged my lipstick."

"I just wanted a kiss," he said, almost sheepishly, his shoulders slumping slightly.

She grabbed her handbag from the hall table, growling in frustration. "Let's just go to dinner."

Following her out the door of David’s apartment, Russell felt lost. Skylar was always so serious, and he was just trying to help her have fun. It seemed like nothing he did was ever good enough. He could move mountains for her, but she still shied away from certain things he did, almost as if she was afraid he would hurt her.

The streets outside were bustling with evening activity. Car headlights flickered like fireflies, and the distant hum of city life created a constant, rhythmic background noise. His thoughts churned as they walked to the car. Why can't she see that I just want to make her happy? He glanced at Skylar, who was silently fuming, and tried to break the tension with humor. "You know, your brother’s getting an earful for leaving you to fend for yourself."

Skylar's lips twitched slightly, and she gave a small huff of amusement. "He'll deserve it."

Russell took her hand gently, feeling a tiny bit of hope. "Let's just get through tonight, and maybe we can do something fun afterwards, just the two of us."

Skylar looked at him, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. "Okay."

As they got into the car and drove to dinner, the soft glow of streetlights illuminated their path. The tension of the upcoming dinner weighed heavily on him, but Russell resolved to do everything he could to make the night go smoothly. For Skylar, he'd face her father’s disapproving glare a hundred times over. When they got to the restaurant where they were meeting his siblings and her father, she was still giving him the silent treatment. He sighed, the weight of her silence pressing down on him. "Sky, please try to relax."

Rolling her eyes, Skylar huffed a laugh and sat down at the table. The ambient lighting of the upscale restaurant cast a warm glow on her features, highlighting her frustration. "I'll relax when I know my friends are safe and sound back home where they belong. I don't like being away from them. I can't watch their backs like this."

"They're enjoying themselves, and you should, too. I'm worried about them, too, you know," he said, trying to catch her gaze as he sat down next to her.

The restaurant was elegantly decorated, with chandeliers casting a soft light over the polished wooden tables. The murmur of conversations and clinking of glasses added to the sophisticated atmosphere. His brother glanced at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get on David's good side."

Russell grinned. "He has a good side?"

Skylar's sharp reprimand cut through the air, irking all of them. The no-nonsense edge in her voice made it clear she wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Russell blinked at her. "Sky, I'm just joking around. No one’s pointing a gun at me, so it’s not like I’ve overstepped."

Trying to ignore the disapproving looks from David and Declan, Russell glanced at the menu. The tension in the air was thick, almost tangible. "So, Declan, I forgot to ask when I invited you out tonight, but how was the wedding?"

Declan snorted, reaching for his glass of water. Taking a deliberate sip, he glanced at Skylar’s impatient behavior towards his little brother. It wasn't as if Russ had stepped out of line since realigning himself with the mafia.

"Other than Kennedy and Memphis teaching his uncle and cousin a lesson they won't soon forget, it was nice," Declan replied. "Madame Tanisha Slade even got Kenni to wear a dress from the 1930s because it was a family tradition. Despite getting attacked by some bimbo and a few idiots from Memphis’s family, it was good. The kids had fun and made a few friends in Thomas’ sister’s little ones, too."

Skylar scoffed, rolling her eyes. "It’s hard enough to get her to wear make-up, let alone a dress."

Sliding his dark blue eyes to Skylar, Declan said, "You would do well to remember that I raised her. Make-up was a no-no for her since she was a small child. Just because you were allowed to wear it doesn't mean she was. As for dresses, haven’t you ever noticed that the only ones she ever wore were the mandatory uniforms when you guys attended private school? She’s never worn dresses or skirts because they remind her of a childhood she’d rather forget, Sky."

Falling quiet, Skylar looked to her father for support, but he simply shook his head, offering no solace. Russell reached out, intending to offer comfort, but she pulled away. "You're not still mad that I smudged your lipstick, are you?"

Holding out her hands, she said, "It's not about that, and you know it."

"How was I supposed to know you didn't like that specific color green?" Russell snapped quietly, his voice tinged with frustration.

Skylar kicked him under the table, a smirk playing on her lips as he grunted softly. His anger flared, but he leashed it tightly, trying to keep his composure. "It's not my problem that you don't listen to me."

Blowing out his cheeks, he was reaching his limit where he just wanted to walk out of the restaurant. The way she behaved toward him in private was different from how she treated him in public, and it was giving him mixed signals. A pain in his chest made him realize that even thinking about leaving her was going to break him.

He loved her fiercely. He just needed to find a way to make her talk to him about the real issue.

Fingering the box in his pocket, he fell quiet before he felt her kick him again. Throwing down his napkin, Russell stood up. Walking over to the counter, he told Marco to put the bill on his tab, promising to settle it later. Marco nodded, bringing up the account in the system and advising the server to bill table six to it.

"Oh my God, are you seriously leaving because I kicked you?" Skylar asked as he collected his jacket, not noticing the dark look her father shot her way.

Shaking his head, he looked down at her. "No, Sky, it’s not that. It’s everything over the last few months building up to this. I'd kiss you goodbye, but I don't want to be slapped again. Goodnight everyone, dinner's on me."

"Russell, sit back down and order," Sky commanded.

Without looking back, he left her alone to deal with the fallout.

David finally snapped, “I didn’t raise you to hit people for attention.” His phone vibrated against his thigh. Pulling it out, he checked the caller ID. "What do you want, Russell?"

"I'm sorry, David. It’s over between us. She can keep the gifts I gave her, too. I don't want them back."

David paled as he listened to the man sob on the other line. Whatever had transpired between them had broken one of the strongest men he knew. "Russell, where are you? Don't do anything stupid, kid."

"I can't do this anymore, David. For the last year and a half, all I get is hell from her when I don't jump in time. She doesn't ask, she demands. I'm sorry, man, but -"

The squeal of tires and metal scraping metal turned David's blood to ice. He knew what that sound meant and prayed he was wrong. "Russell, what happened? Answer me, man."

He listened as the man coughed before answering. "Accident... 401... turnoff... two... kil..."

Looking up, he fought the urge to snap at his daughter before rising to his feet. “We gotta go. Russell’s been in an accident.”

Ambrosia turned to the server, "Cancel the order. We’re not staying."

Skylar's face lost all color as her father snapped to his feet. "I really hope you’re happy about this, Sky. That man just broke up with you, and I can’t blame him in the slightest."

"He what? Why?" She asked, incredulous.

"Think long and hard before you ask me to answer that question, Sky," David snapped. He was irritated with himself and his daughter at that point, and the feeling he should have done something sooner weighed on his conscience.

Grasping the young woman by the arm, the Donna of the mafia sneered in her face. Her green eyes full of malice, she snarled out a warning. "If anything happens to my little brother, you better know how to run faster than me."

"It's my fault that I spoiled her so much. I’m sorry.” David, climbing into his car, sighed deeply. The regret in his voice was palpable, real, and it showed the others his unfiltered and raw concern for Russell.